Sony's mobile division is gunning for Apple and Samsung, one of its executives claims.

In an interview with Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) published yesterday, Sony Mobile sales and marketing head Dennis Van Schie said his company is planning to announce a "flagship model that can [compete] with Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S3."

Van Schie wouldn't say what his company has planned for the device, but he did confirm that it will be running Android. In the interview, he told FTD that Sony is "watching closely" the development of Microsoft's Windows Phone platform.

"If it succeeds, we will not be caught off-guard," Van Schie said of Windows Phone.

Sony has been rumored to be working on a flagship phone for months now. Last month, a report surfaced saying that a device, known as the C650X and codenamed Odin, was in the works. It's not clear if Odin is the flagship device Sony might be working on, but according to a User-Agent Profile discovered by Blog of Mobile, that device is running Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean). Any flagship phone would likely run a later version of Android.

Taking aim at Apple and Samsung is not easy. Last month, research firm Canaccord Genuity reported that Apple and Samsung combine to generate 106 percent of the mobile industry's earnings. How is that possible, you wonder? The companies' biggest competitors, including Research In Motion, Nokia, and Motorola, all posted operating losses during the third quarter, leaving extra cash for the taking.

Van Schie told FTD that his company plans to show off the flagship smartphone at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. It will also make an appearance at the Mobile World Congress early next year.

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Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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